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2013 Floods, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, North India
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Death and damage
Landslides, caused due to the floods, damaged several houses and structures, killing those who were trapped. Because of the landslides and rains, over 164 houses collapsed. The Mandakini river, a tributary of the Ganges, washed down 40 hotels near Gaurikund, a populated region near the Kedarnath Temple. Pilgrimage centres in the region, including Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath are visited by thousands of devotees, especially after the month of May onwards. About 73,000 people were stuck in various regions because of damaged or blocked roads. People in other important locations like the Valley of flowers, Roopkund and the Sikh pilgrimage centre Hemkund were stranded for more than three days in remote regions. An important road for the region, NH58 was also washed down near Jyotirmath. Because the month of June is a busy tourist season, the number of people stranded increased considerably. . For more than two days, the stranded tourists and pilgrims in various remote areas of the region were without food supplies. The roads were seriously damaged at more than 450 places, resulting in huge traffic jams, and the floods caused many cars and other vehicles to be washed away. On 18 June, more than 12,000 pilgrims were stuck at Badrinath, the popular pilgrimage center located on the banks of the Alaknanda River. The main market at Rambada, a hamlet on the way to Kedarnath, was washed out due to rain and the market of Soneprayag was heavily damaged. The police outpost at Rambada hamlet vanished and two policemen and three ITBP troopers died in Uttarakhand.
- Damage to Kedarnath temple
Kedarnath Temple, one of notable temples of Shiva in India and part of Char Dham yatra, was damaged from debris and mud due to heavy rain. This resulted in flooding and the boundary wall of the temple collapsing. The major destruction at Kedarnath took place due to the breaking of Kedar Dome glacier that flooded the town with waters from the Charbari lake, situated 6 km (3.7 mi) from the temple. Panic caused a stampede and the deaths of 17 people in the temple. More than 500 people are missing from Kedarnath. Due to damage, Kedarnath temple is said to be closed for around three year for pilgrims and tourists.
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